Dylan Sims with his mother Sonia Towersey and sister Elizabeth in Hutt Hospital. Photo / Dylan Sims
Dylan Sims with his mother Sonia Towersey and sister Elizabeth in Hutt Hospital. Photo / Dylan Sims
It was a sickness that hung around for a couple of weeks.
Initial testing by doctors didn't show anything untoward until another visit to the hospital revealed Lower Hutt mum-of-three Sonia Towersey had terminal pancreatic cancer.
Now, son Dylan Sims and his siblings have decided to give back to his mum and organise the wedding she and their father, Michael Sims, never got round to having.
Sims, 20, says his mum was sick for two weeks about a month ago. It took a few doctors visits before the cancer was picked up.
Sonia Towersey with daughter Elizabeth Sims in Hutt Hospital. Photo / Supplied
The cancer had now travelled to her liver, he said.
"It's affecting her bowels and everything so nothing can pass through."
His mother had always been there for the kids and now they wanted to give something back by organising a wedding for the lovebirds who had been together for more than 30 years - but engaged for the past 20.
"She's always been there all of us, so it's time to be there for her.
"They've always put us first with all their money and everything; they haven't really got around to getting married."
His mother always dreamed of getting married at Hanmer Springs as it was somewhere the family would visit growing up.
"We used to go there for holidays and she loved it. She always told us that we had to travel our own country before travelling any others, so we've travelled all of New Zealand."
Michael Sims (left), with sons Dalton, Dylan and daughter Elizabeth, with wife Sonia Towersey during a holiday as youngsters. Photo / Supplied
However, if she was too sick the wedding would take place in the back yard of their new home.
Sims said his parents' other dream had been to buy their own home, which they'd managed to accomplish in Wainuiomata two years ago.
He said he and a friend came up with the idea of getting his parents married before running it by other family members who gave it the green light.
Depending on Towersey's health, the family were aiming for a wedding in September, which would allow their mum, 57, to undergo chemotherapy in the meantime.
"She's going to go through chemo and apparently that's going to slow it down so she'll live longer for us but it's still going to spread."
* The children have set up a givealittle page to help get their parents married.
